Connecting with God through poetic articulations of lived, embodied experience–engaging texts from the Revised Common Lectionary for Christian churches, other biblical and spiritual texts, and evocations of the divine in rituals and other public events–always accepting lived reality as a primary source of divine revelation and mystery.

Reflection on Resurrection of the Lord, Year A

We rise to celebrate, go to church, dinner, parade, egg hunt. Are we raised, too, on this New Year’s Day, life no longer the same, when we, like him, have been changed, given new spiritual garments, shown new paths as God’s beloveds to navigate a world that acts as if there is no God?

First Apostle Mary Magdalene hung out at the tomb, waiting— she feared all was lost but we know otherwise, God still active, Jesus keeps rising, Holy Spirit moving all the time, we can miss it if we stop witnessing, watching, being open to the latest— where are we waiting and what are we waiting for?

Signs of the times were not good then, not good now, powers of death and oppression and hate still strong, maybe stronger in age of alt-whatever, but during and after two dinners today— the open meal in the sanctuary and the ordinary one at home or church basement or restaurant— we can witness, we can follow Mary as she followed Jesus, share the good news, tell the world that life and love win, as they do when enough people show up to testify, when we wake up, show up stand up, act up, live up, speak up
so people still in their tombs,
captive to fear—
including ourselves—
put on the love and hope and power
of God, and go forth singing
Jesus Christ is risen today,
knowing we are raised, we are pulled up,
ready or not we are made new,
again.